Combination tie plate



April 14, 1931.

F. c. HASSE ET AL 1,800,292

COMBINATION TIE PLATE Filed Sept. 28, 1929 INVENTORS 7W am JM fMATTORNEYS spikes were driven Patented Apr. 14, 1931 FRANK c. HASSE,

ASSIGNORSTO OXWELD RAILROAD SERVICETGOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WAREApplication filed September 28, 1929.

This invention pertains to a device for fastening. a railroad rail to atie, and more specifically to adouble wood tie. This device comprises atie plate adapted for being attached to a double wood tie, and aclamping device for attachingthetie plate to the rail..

Thisclamping device is claimed in our coending patent applicationbearing Serial Number 395,862. 1

.Double wood ties fore butthe. means railroad rails have not been.factory. .For instance, a common means of joining the ties and attachingthem, to the rail was to employ a tie plate large enough have been usedheretofor attaching them to holding spikes were driven into. the ties.This fastening means was unsatisfactory because the spikes could not bekept tight and consequently the rail pounded the tie plate and wore thetie underneath. Therefore, one object of this invention is bination tieplate to whichthe rail and tie may be firmly secured. I v

. Another disadvantage with tie plates used heretofore is due to thefact that the holding V downward through the tie plates into the tie.Vertical spikes are loosenedby the movement of the rail and also by theexpansion of the tie due to the water that runs down the spikes.Furthermore, the water carried intothe tie by the spike holes tendstorot the tie., Consequently, vertical spikes must be tightenedfrequently, and. the spikeholes must bev plugged and the spikes redrivenat intervals. Therefore, another object of this. invention plate that isattached to a tie by spikes driven horizontally into the side of the tieso poundingof the rail bypassing trains does not loosen them. Anotherobject is to provide a tie plate thatshields the spike holes from rainand other falling water thereby preventing loosened spikes. Anotherobject is to provide a tie plate that may be attached to a tie moreeasily than those used heretofore. Another object is to provide a tieplate that ,maybe. attached to the ties before they are sent out alongthe right .of way and, also, so thet-ie plates may be secured to theties more entirely satisto provide a comis to provide 'a tie' stantiallycentral of I oFFics OF LA GRANGE, AND ISAIAH ALLISON, 0F FOREST PARK,ILLINOIS,

DELA- CQMIBINATIOLT TIE PLATE Serial No. 395,861.

firmly than has been the .practiceheretofore. Still another object is toprovide a: combination tie plate tiat may be attached to a railroad railwith suflicient security so the rail will not creep thereby eliminatingthe need for anti-creepers.

Still other aims, objects, and novel features will be apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying illustration in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of our improved combination tie plate attached toa double wood tie Fig. 2 is an end view of the. same takenalong theline, -2-2 of Fig, l;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the late lsclated from its associated mechanism;

drawing comprising a plate a back block 13; a key 14:;and a 11; a clip12; a wedge cotter 15; constructed, assembled and associated with a rail16 and a ie 17 in the 01- lowing manner.

A double wood tie is usually composed of duplicate sections 17 which arejoined'near each end to form asingle tie to which the rails arefastened. For simplicity, only one end of such a tie will be shownand'described I herein together with our improved means for joining theduplicate portions thereof and for fastening a rail thereto.- It beingunderstood that the means. for joining the sectionsof the tie and forfastening the rail thereto is the same at each endofithe tic.

The plate 10 is formed of a fairly heavy sheet of metal such as iron orsteel having the edges 18 thereof turned downward and provided withvertically elongated horizontal openings or spike holes 19. turned edges18 form the sides of the plate 10 which are spiked to the tie sections17. Subone end of the plate 10 sides formed by separating the is atongue 20 I the pl te 10.- lhis t ngue thereof from sides andoutsideface,

than thewidth of the 27, so the key will pass bent upward and over toform an abutment or socket for the edge of the rail 16. In the portionof the plate 10 not covered on the upper side by the rail 16 or on theunder s de by the tie sections 17 a rectangular opening 21 is providedhaving the outer edge 22 thereof substantially flush or in verticalalignment with the inner edge of the rail 16 when the outer edge of therail is seated in the. socket .20. The opening 21 is substantiallymidway btween the edges of the plate 10 and in longitudinal alignmentwith the socket or abutment 20. Welded or otherwise secured to the underside of the plate 10 substantially midway between the depending edges 18is an inverted U-shapedseparator 23 that-holds the tie sections 17apart. .The'back block 11 has parallel sides and a Width slightly lessthan that of the opening '21 in plate 10. The top and bottom are atright angles to the si(les, and the back 1s at right angle to the topand bottom, but the face 24 or inside surface is inclined'outward frombottom to top for a purpose that will be described presently. Theback orinside surface of the block 11 has a recess 25 therein adapted to fitoverthe inside edge of the opening 21 for the purpose of holding theblock in fixed position with relation to the plate 10 when the device isassembled.

The clip 12 is rectangular in shape and about the same width and heightas the back block 11. The outside surface of the clip has j a recess 26therein with the upper wall thereof inclined relative to the lower. Thedistance between these walls is such thatwhen the clip is forced overthe contiguous edges of the base of the rail 16 and the opening 21 .ofthe plate 10, the inclined walls of the recess 26 will clamp the rail 16to the plate 10,

The wedge 13 is about as wide as the back block 11 and the clip 12. Thetop, bottom, are at right angles to each other, but the inside face isinclined outwardly from bottom to top at the sameangle as the outsidesurface 24: of the back block 11. Also, the wedge 13 is somewhat longerthan either the back block or clip, and it has a rectangular"aperture 27extending therethrough from side to side near the small end thereof.This aperture- 27 is positioned so a portion thereof is above the top ofthe plate 10 when the device is assemblethand the top of the aperture isinclined with relation to the top'and sides of the wedge so it is at anangle thereto. The key 14 has a thickness slightly less aperture 27, andone of the sides is inclined with relation to the other. The Width ofthe key at the larger end is less than the length of the aperturetherethrough; This feature is not important as the mechanism willperform itsintended function if the key does not pass through theaperture n the 'ient places and then attaching them to the the plateshave been {two plates attached thereto have been wedge. Extending fromside to side through the small end of the key are a plurality of holes28 of such size that the cotter 15 may be inserted in one of them tolock the mechanism together in a manner to be described later.

When the combination tie plate described herein is assembled andperforming its intended function, the upper or horizontal portion of theplate 10 rests upon the upper side of the two tie sections 17 which areheldlaterally between the separator 23'and the downturned edges 18.Railroad spikes 29 are driven through the spike holes 19 in thedownturned edges and into the sides of the tie sections 17 The spikeholes 19 are elongated and the spikes 29 are preferably in the lower endof these elongated holes so that any downward does not tend to move thespikes but,'instead, moves independently thereof. By this arrangementthe relative movement between the plate 10 and the tie sections 17caused by passing trains does not tend to loosenthe "spikes 29. Also,the plate 10 shields the tie sections around the spikes from rain orother falling water so that this portion of the tie is kept from gettingwet' and expanding or swelling and thereby drawing the spikes.Furthermore, as the tie is kept dry around the spike holes, water,doesnot enter the tie alongside the spikes and rot it.

The plates 10 may be attached to the ties at the railorad shops, yards,or other convendistributed along the right of way and placed in serviceby simply rails. It is customary to attach the plates 10 to the ties sothat the .rail abutments or sockets 20are on the outside of the railsbut, in order to make it more convenient to attach the ties to therailsafter attached to the ties, the to each tie, may be positioned thereonso that the abutments 20 are between the rails or so that one is insideand the other is outside. I

After the ties with the, plates 10 attached I placed in service byattaching the plates to the railroad rails, each plate is joined to itsrespective rail in the followmg manner: I

" The outer edge, of the base of the rail 16 is firmly seated in thesocket or abutment 20 which is formed so that the inner surface thereofconforms closely to the contour of the rail. The recess 26 of the clip12 surrounds the inner edge of the rail 16 and the outer edge 22 of theopening 21. Thewalls of this recess 26 are mclined so the bottomconforms to the bottom of the plate 10 and the top conforms to thetopeof the rail when the inside wall ofthe clip 12 is substantiallyvertical or at right angle to the upper surface of the plate 10. s i

The back block 11 is also positioned within the opening 21 so that theinner edge of the opening is in the recess 25 of the back block, and theinclined face thereof is toward the clip 12 a d the rail 16. Therecesses in the back block and the clip hold them securely in assembledposition and prevent them from moving either up or down with relation tothe plate 10.

The wedge 13 is positioned within the opening 21 with the small endthereof upward so that the inclined face of the wedge is in contact withthe similarly inclined face of the back block 11, and the vertical facethereof is in contact with the vertical face of the clip 12. The wedgeis of such thickness that when in this position enough of the aperture27 eX- tends above the upper surface of the plate 10 to provide room forthe key 14 therein.

The key 14 is within the aperture 27 in such a manner that the inclinedface thereof is uppermost and in contact with the similarly inclinedupper wall of the aperture 27, and the lower face thereof is in contactwith the upper surface of the plate 10 at each side of the opening 21.

During the operation of assembling the component parts of the deviceinto the relative positions just described, the key 14 is driven somedistance into the aperture 27 of the wedge 13 thereby forcing the wedgein an upward direction between the back block 11 and the clip 12. Thewedge, in turn, forces the clip 12 over the edge of the rail 16 and theplate 10 with sufficient force to clamp the rail to theplatewithsufiicient pressure to prevent the rail 16 from creeping or movingrelative to the tie plate.

This method of clamping a rail to a tie plate is unique in the fact thata series of three wedges are employed in a combination that is arrangedso the first exerts a strong force to move the second, which, in turn,exerts a much stronger force on the third, and theclamping pressure isthat exerted against the inclined sides of the third wedge. By thisunique arrangement clamping pressure is secured than that usuallyemployed. Therefore, the rail is held to the tie more securely and withsufficient pressure so it does not creep. This eliminates the necessityfor anti-creepers which are a source of trouble and only partiallyeffective. a

The major elements of the three wedge combination, referred to above,are: the tapered key 14 which is considered as being the first wedge;the wedge 13 which is considered as being the second and is moved by thefirst; and the contigous edges of the base of the rail 16 and the outeredge 22 of the opening 21 of the plate 10 are considered as the thirdupon which the pressure of the second is exerted through the medium ofthe clip 12. The pressure exerted upon the tapering sides of this thirdwedge is also the pressure which a much greater clamps the two portionsthereof together and, as one of these is a portion of the rail and theother is a portion of the plate, the pressure exerted upon the taperingsides of the third wedge is, therefore, the pressure that clamps therail to the tie plate and, in turn to the tie to which the tie plate isattached.

It is understood, of course, that this combination tie plate may bemodified so that it may be attached to ties of difiierent kinds andshapes, and the size of the component parts thereof may be changed andthe arrangement thereof may be varied to meet the needs of varyingconditlons wlthout departing from the spirit of the invention orsacrificing anyv of the rights thereunder.

We claim:

1. A tie plate for double wood ties, comprising a plate having the edgesthereof turned downward and provided with a plurality of spike holes;means attached to the under side of said plate for separating said ties;and means for attaching a rail to said plate.

2. A tie plate for double wood ties, comprising a plate having the edgesthereof turned downward and provided with a plurality'of elongated spikeholes; means attached tothe underside of said plate for bolding saidties apart; and means for attaching said plate to a railroad rail.

3. A tie plate for double wood ties, comprising a plate having the edgesthereof turned downward and provided with a plurality of horizontalspike holes;a tie separator welded to the under side of said plate; andmeans for attaching said plate to a railroad rail.

' 4. A tie plate for double wood ties, comprising a plate having theedges thereof turned downward and provided with a plurality of spikeholes; a U-shaped tie separator welded to the under side of said platebetween 1 In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures.

FRANK o. HAssn ISAIAH ALLISON.

